Addis Ababa: Foreign affairs ministers of the African Union and European Union met on 21 May 2025 for the third time to take stock of progress made since the sixth EU-AU Summit of February 2022. Ministers exchanged views on the EU-AU partnership and how to further strengthen cooperation in this landmark year marking the 25th anniversary of their enduring and unique partnership.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gedion Timotheos, delivered remarks at the Ministerial debate on the thematic issue concerning Prosperity. He underlined the need for scaling up investment under the Global Gateway Initiative and stressed the necessity to achieve tangible results beyond declarations. The Minister highlighted AU’s Agenda 2063 and projects like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), CAADP, PIDA, Clean and Renewable Energy Investment as important.
Sustainable agri-food systems to ensure sovereignty and national security were also highlighted by the Minister. Gedion urged alignment of the EU regulations like the EUDR with Africa’s trade frameworks, particularly the Everything But Arms. He mentioned the significance of protecting smallholder farmers from unintended burdens of new and abruptly introduced regulations.
Gedion also emphasized how the Africa-EU collaboration in Artificial Intelligence, Digitalization, and innovation leverage prosperity. The Foreign Minister called for joint investment for shared prosperity, and Ethiopia’s readiness for business.